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Students join medical team at Little League World Series

August 9, 2013

Students join medical team at Little League World Series

Seventy-five students enrolled in physician assistant, paramedic technology and emergency medical services majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will serve at the 2013 Little League Baseball World Series, which attracts teams and fans from around the world and runs Aug. 15-25.

Juniors and seniors in the college’s physician assistant major will staff the infirmary, set up to provide urgent care for competing players and coaches, around the clock. The infirmary is in the Little League International complex’s International Grove, where teams stay during the series. There, the students gain experience under the supervision of Penn College’s licensed physician assistant faculty and Little League World Series medical director, Dr. John Boll.

In addition to providing a service for the community and introducing students to the importance of volunteerism, the experience provides a real-world introduction to patient-provider interactions, communication skills, medical documentation and ethical concepts of patient care, as well as the clinical skills of patient interviews, assessment techniques, developing a management plan and patient education. In addition, students learn by collaborating with providers in various medical disciplines.

Students in emergency medical services and paramedic technology majors will be stationed in Lamade Stadium, where, under the leadership of Susquehanna Regional Emergency Medical Services and Susquehanna Health paramedics, they will remain on-call for health-related emergencies in the stadium for the thousands of spectators who attend the series. Dr. Gregory Frailey, medical director for the college’s paramedic and physician assistant programs, provides physician oversight at the complex for Penn College students and Susquehanna Regional EMS paramedics throughout the event.